I rode a bike as a young kid like most kids did "back in the day". Even rode my bike to school for a few years until I had to take the bus as jr. high was too far away. Like a lot of kids in the PNW, I got into hiking, climbing, and just generally being outdoors. Started running to stay in shape for climbing. Found out in HS that I was doing pretty well at running and ran D1 in college. Then spent the 80's in a few different cities around the mid-south and mid-west for both grad school and work with my recently acquired wife. Kids started arriving in the mid to late 80's. Left the US for Bangkok in 1990 for a work assignment. Still ran a lot but not nearly as much or as intently like I did in college. Started to mtn bike in the late 90's with other expat friends in Bangkok. The transition from running to mtn biking was very easy and all the cardio from running worked very well. Did a little bit of mtn bike racing there which was fun. Moved back to the US in the 2000's and immediately signed up for the RAMROD before they went to the lottery system. Bought my first road bike, a 2002 LeMond Zurich, in April and did my first road event that July which was RAMROD.
I don't do Strava, HRM's, or any other bike/running related tech. I'm not interested in the watts I produced. About the most tech I use is my wireless (aren't they all now?) bike computer that records my distance and speed. I do check the local bike club and if I see a ride I like and they used Ride With GPS I will make note of that.
I basically just ride for fun and my pace is generally between 18-20mph on the flat with no wind. Almost all of my rides are solo. I am a fair weather rider that doesn't bike in the rain or cold. Will be leaving next month for Bangkok for some warm weather riding for a couple of months.